Not looking for a brand war or why dont you look at this brand but rather I would like to hear from someone with direct time behind these two boats for a comparison of the wake board wake (20-24 mph) and the surf wake. stock ballast or additional ballast is fine.

My limited time driving both boats has us preferring the 230 but I like the principal of the wake plate vs the hydro plate favors the X30 IMHO.

The deals on near new 230's are not to be ignored right now and they are still sweet boats even in the shadows of the new G.

Wake plate, hydrogate, they accomplish the same idea, both are proven to work so not sure how that would even be a factor in deciding. Only you can decide what wake you like... the 230 I felt was a giant slightly less steep typical oldschool Super Air wake... it was big hard and steep, I haven't been behind the new X30. You drove them, why didn't you ride behind them?

Time constraints and now logistics... I am really wishing I had of though.

We did surf the 230 and my wife loved it but I needed more size or a larger board or simply more weight. The wakeboard wake seemed mellow with stock ballast on both boats but hoping someone has direct experience in both with some additional weight.

I have an 2012 X-30 so I can chime in. The wake and surf wave are top notch. With extra 750's in each rear, the wake really comes together. Huge and clean for days unlike a lot of other 23 foot boats. I really like the 230 as well but there are a lot of things I like on the X-30.

Besides the wake and wave, some of the strong points are:

1) Storage. Nothing tops the storage on a MC. My kids favorite part of the boat was the "tunnel". They can crawl under the front seat in the bow and appear in the rear locker. There is just so much room. When you have a family this is a huge plus. We keep a couple surfboards under the seats and they don't even take up an room.
2) Ride. Driving the new X-30 will put a smile on your face.
3) Tower. I love the new ZFT-4. It's so easy to fold and can be locked in the down position for towing. Great for long trips.
4) Rear Flip up seat like the X-Star. This should have been #1, it's everyone's favorite feature of the boat it seems. So easy to use.
5) Cooler/Trash bin and shocks on the fold up seats.
6) Clamping swivel racks. The can hold anything from surf boards to fishing rods. Best racks I have used.
7) Styling. This is subjective of course but i like the unique look of the new X-30. Its different then everything else on the lake.

We have put 75 hours on our X-30 so far this summer and have gotten the wake figured out. Here are my thoughts. My last 23 foot boat had a nice wake but at slower speeds it was very washy so for kids learning at 18-19mph it was no good. the X-30 stays clean at all speeds. The wake is wider than my past boat but not overly wide. One thing I really noticed about the X-30 is when you load up the ballast you don't need to ride any faster. With 2500lbs of ballast you can ride the boat at 21.5 and the wake is huge and clean. I have actually slowed my speed down a little since getting this boat because there is no need to ride at 23.5-24 just to have a clean wake with full ballast. When I talked with Kyle ratray about his G23 this summer he said he had slowed his speeds down a little for his new boat (I think the had a 230 before) too because the wake stays clean. Its not that big of a deal but its nice not to have to ride too fast.

Definitley try to ride behind both with some decent ballast. And if surfing is your thing try the X-30 with just stock plus 750. It's golden.

I haven't ridden behind a x-30 but have ridden the x-25 and can tell you that it was somewhat finicky and needs more speed the more weight you put into it. As does a 230. Sounds like the x-30 is gonna throw the most user friendly wake of the boats listed. Also that reversible seat is so so nice!

230 has a reversible seat as well and now NSS. Both great boats, but with NSS you will be able to switch sides with the push of a button and eliminate a lot of the lean you get from surfing. I would imagine on an X30 you still have to lean the boat and seat people on one side or the other. Won't have to do it with the 230 and NSS. The 230 has a comparable surf wave to the X30 (ridden both) and the 230 has a massive wave with added ballast! I would agree that with the 230 you may want to add a little weight for surf, but it's not hard to do at all and you don't have to worry about weighting one side or the other as long as you get it with NSS. Just weight the boat evenly and go. You should really go back and demo both boats and "ride behind them" to figure out which boat is best for you. Both have quality and proven wakes, just a matter of which one suits your needs and style better. Look into NSS though just for peace of mind if surfing is real important to you.

230 has a reversible seat as well and now NSS. Both great boats, but with NSS you will be able to switch sides with the push of a button and eliminate a lot of the lean you get from surfing. I would imagine on an X30 you still have to lean the boat and seat people on one side or the other. Won't have to do it with the 230 and NSS. The 230 has a comparable surf wave to the X30 (ridden both) and the 230 has a massive wave with added ballast! I would agree that with the 230 you may want to add a little weight for surf, but it's not hard to do at all and you don't have to worry about weighting one side or the other as long as you get it with NSS. Just weight the boat evenly and go. You should really go back and demo both boats and "ride behind them" to figure out which boat is best for you. Both have quality and proven wakes, just a matter of which one suits your needs and style better. Look into NSS though just for peace of mind if surfing is real important to you.

I can't comment about a 230 with NSS, but the surf wave is definitely not as good as new X30, without NSS. Even with more than 3k of bags+bricks+tanks, it didn't surf as good as the X30 with a 1750lbs+tanks (fly high 750 in locker, fly high 1000 in coffin). Compared to a 2011 or older X30, sure. Not the new one though.

Like I said, though..... I have never ridden a 230 with NSS, and that could make all the difference. I have to agree about being able to change sides....... The surf tabs on an MC don't really work for that. They only help to shape the wave. You still have to lean the boat.